Tenter



(No-Mod l.)

R. M. HUNTER. TENTERING MAGHINE.

Patented Sept. 29, 1896.

I j/oor f/aar- Righf chain.

I )(nven for UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE H- IVBUTTERWVORTH & SONS COMPANY, OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TENTER-ING- MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 568,349, dated S p r29, 1896 Applioation filed February 12, 1896. Serial No. 578,989. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, of the city and county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement inTentering-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to centeringmachines for treating textilefabrics; and it consists of certain improvements which are fully setforth in the following specification and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part thereof.

Heretofore tentering-machines have been made with two endless conveyersof pins or clamps, combined with mechanism for reciprocating saidconveyers longitudinally bodily simultaneously in opposite'directions,and at the same time moving them toward or from each other while theyare being driven, so as to stretch the fabric on the diagonal whilefeeding it forward. Such class of machines is clearly disclosed, forexample, in Patent No. 237,225, dated February 1, 1881, to O. P. lVood.It has been customary, as is clearly disclosed in said patent, toconnect the driving-shaft and both of the pinions which rotate the largesprocket-wheels of the endless conveyers or clamps with a verticaloperat ing-shaft by means of bevel-gears, the vertical shaft beingpivoted so that its vertical axis passes through the axis of oscillationof the driving-shaft and pinions. The objection to this construction hasbeen that while the total forward movements of the chains or clamps 011each side are the same the movements of said chains are relativelyirregular,

that they operate upon each side of the fabric in exactly the samemanner and to the same extent.

The object of my inven- I My invention will be better understood byreference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is alongitudinal sectional elevation through one end of a tentering-machineembodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of same online w 00, and Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the uniformity of themovements of the two chains.

A A are longitudinal side frames having chain-guides O formed thereon inany suitable manner. These longitudinal frames are supported upontransverse arms B by pivots I), and said transverse arms are pivotedupon pedestals B in any of the well-known manners, so that when one ofsaid frames advances the other recedes, and vice versa.

F is a large sprocket-wheel, about which the endless conveyer or chain Bworks, the

said chain being guided in guides O and fed by means of thesprocket-wheel F. Each of the longitudinal frames is provided with asimilar sprocket-wheel and chain in the wellknown manner. In the returnthe chain may 7 5 pass through grooved guides 0, arranged close to thefloor and moving with frames A. The chains D are provided with clamps orpins, as is customary.

Thesprocket-wheels F are driven by means of pinions M M, which arerespectively supported upon shafts K L and made to rotate positivelytherewith by means of feathers or splines m,while being permitted toslide longitudinally thereon. The said shafts K L are 8 5 journaled inbearings J, so as to be held in line and oscillated as a unit, and theouter ends of the respective shafts are also 3' ournaled in slidingblocks 0, adapted to move upon the guiding-pedestals P, though thislatter construction is not absolutely necessary. The bearings J areformed in the frame I, which is journaled upon a central pedestal H,securely bolted to the floor. The said frame I is oscillated upon thepedestal H by means of 5 a crank Q, which may be driven in any suitablemanner. The pinions lWI are held in substantially vertical alinementwith the longitudinal frames by means of inclosing boxes N, which arepivoted upon vertical pivots n I00 to the longitudinal frames and arethe direct means of reciprocating them. It will be evident that if theframe I be oscillated the shafts K L also oscillate therewith andthrough the media of the boxes N cause the longitudinal frames A A to bercciprocated back and forth. During this reciprocation the frames A arecaused to move toward and from each other, as is well known, by means ofthe transverse pivot-frames B.

In the vertical pedestal II, I arrange two shafts R and S, journaledconcentrically to the pivot-bearing of frame I, and at the upper end ofshaft S, I secure a bevel-gear S, which meshes with a similar bevel-gearS upon the shaft L. Upon the upper end of the outer or tubular shaft R,I secure a bevel-gear R, which meshes with a similar bevel-gear R uponthe shaft K. It is desirable that the relation between the bevel-gears Sand S shall correspond to the relation between the bevel-gears R and RThe lower ends of the shafts R and S are respectively provided withbevelgears T and T, arranged to face each other and mechanicallyconnected by a driving bevel-gear T upon the power-shaft t. It will nowbe observed that by rotating the shaft t the gears T and T will rotatethe shafts R and S in opposite directions, and this will cause theshafts K and L to rot-ate in the same direction and at the same speeds.

It is of course evident that if the gears T and T are of different sizesor driven at (lifferent rates of speed by the power devices the relativeproportions between the gears S and H and R R will be modified, theessential point being to so arrange the gears that the separate shafts Kand L, which drive the pinions M M, will always rotate at the same ratesof speed or numbers of rotations and in the same directions.

Geared with the bevel-gears T and T is a bevel-gear IV, which, by meansof the shaft (Z, drives the vertical shaft q of the crank Q by means ofthe power or miter gears V. This enables all of the parts to be drivenfrom the same powcrshaft t. It will further be observed that by thisconstruction great simplicity is secured and no expensive machinework isrequired.

It will be seen that as the shafts R and S, together with their gears Rand S, constantly rotate in one direction,and with a uniform speed, theoscillation of the frame I will so move the shafts K L that when theframes A A move backward the speed of the chains is greater than whenthey moved forward, but this change of speed is exactly the same foreach one of the two chains, and consequently the effect or action ofsaid chains or conveyers upon both edges of the fabric is exactly thesame. In the construction of the machine as heretofore made, and anexample of which is shown in the patent before referred to asillustrating the state of the art, the chains moved more rapidly for thebackward movement of one of the longitudinal frames than for thebackward movement of the other longitudinal frame, and inversely thesaid chains of the first-mentioned longitudinal frame moved more slowlyin the forward movement thereof than the corresponding chain of theother longitudinal frame in its forward movement. struction theseirregularities are entirely eliminated,and the operation upon the chainsor conveyers is identically the same with both longitudinal frames bothin their backward and in their forward movements, and hence the actionupon the fabric is uniform upon both edges and to the same extent.

The diagram, Fig. 3, illustrates the action of the movement of theconveying-chains of my improved machine, assuming the line (1 3 to be inline with corresponding clamps of the two chains. The first position isindicated at 1 l, the second position would be indicated at 2 2, thethird at 3 3, and so 011. It will be perceived that the advances betweenthe terminals of any reciprocation, such as between 1 and 3, 3 and 5, 2and 4, &c., will be uniform and equal, and hence is exactly the sameboth for the left and right chains.

While I prefer the construction shown, I do not con fine myself to theminor details thereof, as they may be modified without departing from myinvention.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. I11 a tentering-machine, the combination of two longitudinalreciprocating frames provided with conveyer or chain guides, means forreciprocating the frames, an endless chain or conveyer for the fabriccarried by each of said frames, a driving sprocket or chain wheel forand moving with each of the lo11- gitudinal frames, pinions for drivingthe respective sprocket or chain wheels, two shafts for driving saidpinions independently, means for rotating the shafts, a pedestal forminga vertical axis of oscillation for said pinionshafts, verticalconcentric shafts extending through the pedestal, bevel-gears R Srespectively secured to the concentric shafts, and gears It S 011opposite sides of the con.- ter of the pedestal and concentric shafts respectively connected with the pinion-shafts.

In a tentering-machine, the combination of two longitudinalreciprocating frames provided with conveyor or chain guides, an end- Inmyim proved conless chain or conveyer for the fabric carried by each'ofsaid frames, a driving sprocket or chain wheel for and moving with eachof the longitudinal frames, pinions for driving the respective sprocketor chain wl1eels,two shafts for driving said pinions independently,means for oscillating said shafts upon a vertical axis intermediate ofthe pinions and reciproeatin g the longitudinal frames, a power-shaft,and connecting-gearing between said power-shaft and the twopinion-shafts consisting of two vertical concentric shafts respectivelyconnected at their top ends with the respective pinion-shafts bybevel-gears on opposite sides of said concentric shafts, and at thebottom ends by gears with the power-shaft.

" pivoted frame shall reciprocate the longitudinal frames and theirchains or conveyers,

a power-shaft, a crank operated by the powershaft for oscillating thepivoted frame, and independent gearing connectingthe powershaft With thetwo independent pinion-shafts upon opposite sides of the pedestal andaxis of'oscillation of said pinion-shafts whereby they are caused torotate at the same variable speeds.

In testimony of Which invention I have hereunto set my hand.

R. M. HUNTER.

Witnesses:

ERNEST HOWARD HUNTER, WM. L. EvAns.

